1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to clamping apparatus and, more particularly, to a vise for holding two workpieces within the operating area of a machining apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
The present invention has particular utility as a substitute for the workpiece clamp disclosed in Applicant's application Ser. No. 08/288,067, filed Aug. 10, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,538. This application describes a multi-component assembly for adjustably positioning a workpiece at a precise location relative to a machine tool.
The invention has special advantages in relation to the screw machine and lathe turning industry. In this industry it is known that cutting tool bits become worn and dull after a relatively short period of use. To minimize downtime, it is therefore important to have a second tool bit available to replace the dull one. A problem arises, however, when the second tool bit was not produced with a reference surface and related coordinates that were identical to the first tool bit. Consequently, the machine operator must go through the time-consuming steps of precisely realigning and truing the replacement tool bit so that it will perform exactly as the original tool bit.